Five foreign women arrested at Changi Airport for smuggling 27kg of cocaine

SINGAPORE: Five foreign women have been arrested by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) for allegedly attempting to smuggle nearly 27 kilograms of cocaine into Singapore through the transit hall of Changi Airport Terminal 4.

The arrests were made on the afternoon of July 29, following a joint intelligence exchange between Singapore’s CNB and the Narcotics Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force.

According to a statement released by the CNB, officers moved in while two of the women were observed exchanging luggage in the transit area. A subsequent search of their belongings uncovered a significant quantity of drugs: approximately 27 kilograms of cocaine and 10 grams of cannabis. Authorities revealed that some of the cocaine had been concealed inside a stuffed animal.

The women, aged between 21 and 48, were taken into custody at the airport. All five remain under investigation for suspected drug trafficking offences.

Under Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act, trafficking more than 15 grams of pure heroin or more than 500 grams of cannabis carries the mandatory death penalty. Cocaine, though less commonly trafficked in the region, is also classified as a Class A controlled drug, and trafficking more than 30 grams of it is punishable by death.

Investigations are ongoing.